Opening the Gates

Adam StyborskiThursday, May 09, 2013

hat makes a card exciting for you? Which cards will delight you when you play them? Questions like these are deceptively simple and are answered by each of us in wildly different ways. Dragon's Maze is our last chance (for now, at least) to see the guilds of Ravnica at work, so it's no surprise there is plenty of excitement to go around.

It's easy to know what excited you. What's difficult is really understanding the diversity of things that others find thrilling. What I mean is just as everyone has different picks for which commanders to use, or which colors they enjoy, the types and uses of cards from sets is a deep rabbit's hole to explore. Last week's prompt for your six picks for awesome Commander cards from Dragon's Maze led to some interesting answers.

For example, would you have guessed that Melek, Izzet Paragon was the legendary creature most cited as exciting?

The Izzet are among the most popular guild affiliations here in our world, so it makes sense the champion of that guild would be popular too. However, the reasons were varied:

The same card can create excitement in so many different ways. This variety is exactly what makes Melek so compelling for Commander, and why there's plenty of diversity in our decks. There was another card that appeared frequently, although it stunned me to see it happen. It's a type of card I've heard called into question, yet gets used frequently as an example of a card that makes some of us very happy.

Can you guess before revealing it below?

Possibility Storm was, indeed, among the most suggested cards. The ability to twist each spell into a random spell of the same type is as chaotic as it gets, particularly when everyone is forced to follow along. But that idea of variety, randomness, and excitement of the unknown resonates with many of you.

The obvious use for Possibility Storm isn't around specific cards, but creating a specific experience. Commander was created to highlight those types of experiences.

What else did we find interesting? Just about everything.

Trinkets from the Maze

The most common reason specific cards jumped out was that they fit for a specific commander. Will felt it was time to create a brand-new deck:

Gruul War Chant—With enough creatures, it will eventually win you the game.

When Gatecrash was released, I added ten Simic cards to complement my newest commander, Prime Speaker Zegana. I think we've all experienced Will's moment of seeing something new, and deciding to go all-in for it. Savageborn Hydra is just awesome on its own, but with Dangerous and Gruul War Chant around, the potential to wipe away an army with one attack is a potent possibility.

Zhur-Taa Ancient is definitely a throwback to Heartbeat of Spring and Mana Flare, and it plays to the same cautions: Empowering everyone's mana will allow very powerful things to happen. It's awesome power, but if you have friends who bring the greatest cards they can muster, this Ancient can derail the entire game in one shot.

Cards like Breaking & Entering and Mirko Vosk, Mind Drinker play right into the usual things a Grixis—blue-black-red—deck can do in Commander. Piling cards into graveyards, then pulling things out that you want from them, is a great way to keep up with other players: If their decks are powerful, so will yours be! Melek appears here as well, and Notion Thief can steal away plenty of cards from an unsuspecting opponent.

While a common like Morgue Burst may seem clunky, it's clear that alongside its guild's parun it can perform very well. Stew points out that Eldrazi, a colorless set of creatures from Rise of the Eldrazi, works well with that plan, but most artifact creatures will work too.

Advent of the Wurm—Four mana for a 5/5 trample at the end of turn before mine, need I say more?

Alive & Well—Fits the theme of tokens and gives a healthy dose of life at the SAME TIME.

Beck & Call—Commander games can get to huge mana so likely I'll be saving this until I can play a creature on top of the four birds for five cards... if they sweep I can just restock with those new cards.

The cycle of creatures where Maze Behemoth comes from is a clever way to include "lords"—creatures that grant abilities to all other creatures of a specific type—in a deck. If you're piling on multicolor options, suddenly this quintet is a standout. Similarly, Renegade Krasis may look like a lord for decks full of evolve, but its reach is far beyond that. Undying creatures come back and get even better, but throwing counters across an army can quickly let this Krasis get out of hand, and Gavony Township is a consistent way to ensure that happens.

As an avid fan of Riku of Two Reflections, I always enjoy seeing the word "copy" printed on a card, especially one like Melek. Vorel has surprising synergy with many storage lands seen in Commander (not to mention Everflowing Chalice), and a copied, fused Give & Take can easily draw you far more than six cards if played right. Plasm Capture is just fun for everyone (or maybe just you).

Debt to the Deathless—Will often win Commander games out of nowhere. Just ramp up and win. Having 24 mana is not that hard.

Obzedat's Aid—I want more things with this ability, put my best noncreature permanents into play.

Zhur-Taa Ancient—Turning long games into short games with a turn-six (or earlier) Eldrazi.

Some familiar faces made Ryan's list, but it's Hidden Strings that stands out the most to me. Getting Hidden Strings encoded onto a creature that's paired up with ways to make combat happen multiple times in a turn (Aggravated Assault looks promising) can cut a game short. The myriad of things you'd want to untap for a second go each turn is an article unto itself.

There's some overlap, but I definitely cheated by grouping all of the Cluestones together. Ways that help grow mana but can becomes something else if needed are a neat trick to include in Commander decks. Exava, Rakdos Blood Witch is finally an excuse to break out creatures like Arcbound Slith and Arcbound Fiend. After adding Mikaeus, the Unhallowed and other undying creatures to the pile it's clear there's a deck to be made. And my very first choice of commander, Kresh the Bloodbraided, would find Flesh & Blood to be a hilarious way to drop 20 damage into an opponent's face.

The Maze's Beginning

What you see in Dragon's Maze is going to be different from what anyone else does, and that's one of the greatest features of the format. I hope seeing things through others' eyes gave you a few ideas to explore yourself.

Adam "Stybs" Styborski joined DailyMTG.com in 2009 to take over Serious Fun, before switching over to begin Command Tower in 2013. With his passion for Commander and community inclusion, you'll find plenty of opportunity each week to share your thoughts about everyone's favorite casual format.